Secrets in Vaan
by razorsfire
Summary: six orphans with miserable lives soon find themselves in a new adventure after being separated for five years....when an evil organization arises to cause havoc....the six need to learn to rely on each other to save their home land


**Hiya!  
I finally finished typing this story of mine...sorry it took so long XP  
AND I DO NOT OWN POKEMON!!  
okay...let the story begin!**

**PS: even though the characters are young...the experiences they've had have made them a bit mature for their age...**

--  
if you see that thing up there between pharagraphs...  
it means it's the same point of view, just a different scene...  
the full bar means it's a different point of view...

* * *

**Prologue:**

Is it really this cold tonight or am I just imagining it?

The bone-chilling wind that swept through our old, broken orphanage… a gale as Ayaka would say…

Sometimes I wonder why my parents, whoever they were, named me after the wind. Was it because they thought I'd be free, to choose what life I would live? Or because they thought I'd be…cold…

Either way, they were right…

--

"Are you ready FireClaw?"

"Quil!" the little fire mouse replied. And just in time; it was midnight.

I put on my worn-out, blue and black sneakers and opened the rickety window. The cold breeze greeted me, blowing through my messy, charcoal-black hair. I'll never get used to that chill, no matter what my name was.

The little Cyndaquil climbed to its spot on my shoulder; I climbed on the window frame and stared at what lay ahead of us- Vaan, the wilderness…and freedom. No more hunger; no more evil caretaker who makes us miss meals; no more being a prisoner…

I looked back. My tattered mattress lay in a corner, the only non-living thing in the tiny place I call my room. My eyes shifted to the closed door next to it. I could just imagine one of my friends walking in, their Pokémon partners following them closely behind…

No more friends…

"FireClaw," I said, "do you think we're doing the right thing?"

"Cynda…" The little Pokémon lowered its head. "Quil quil…"

"I don't know either buddy." I patted the little Cyndaquil reassuringly. "But we won't know until we try, right?"

"Quil…cynda, cyndaquil"

"Yeah, I know. You're just a baby and I'm barely seven years old…But that girl promised us. Don't you trust her?"

"Quil, cynda! Cyndaquil…"

"I think so too."

I almost lost my balance when the door suddenly opened. A raven-haired girl in her worn-out, red T-shirt entered the room.

"Gale, we're meeting in Hallind's room. His little Sparky is…" Her voice trailed off as she saw me standing suspiciously on the window frame. "What are you doing there?"

"Uh…" I searched my mind for an excuse. I hadn't planned for Jen to come walking through the door. "We're just trying to get a better view of the forest…" I held my breath. Jen wasn't the easiest person to fool.

Her bright, saffron eyes studied me carefully; deciding if I was telling the truth or not. "You never put on your shoes unless you're planning to go outside" she said. I should've thought of a better excuse. She knew me well enough to see right through that lie. "You're going to run away, aren't you?"

I climbed down and looked at her apologetically. "I'm sorry Jen, but I have to do this."

"Why?" Her voice was firm and serious. It wasn't like the carefree girl I knew to talk that way.

"I have to do something…to set things right." She looked at me thoughtfully when I said that.

"The others will be mad…" She took a few steps closer." Hallind would never forgive you."

"I know that…" A small smile spread on my face. "He'd probably kill me the next time we meet…" Jen took another step closer.

"Ayaka would be crushed" she pointed out. "The same with Saiiko and Kareti."

My smile disappeared. "I don't really know how those three will take it." I lowered my head to the floor. "What about you, Jen?"

Imagine my surprise when the six year old hugged me and buried her head in my oversized jacket. I caught a glimpse of a tear as it slowly crawled down her face. "I'll forgive you" she whispered. The raven-haired girl looked at me and smiled. "And I'm sure the others will, too."

"Thanks, Jen." I gave her a quick hug and climbed back up on the window. "And trust me; you guys _will_ see me again." With those words, I leaped from my spot and grabbed a tree branch.

With the whole world in front of me, it was kind of tempting to go back. To lie down in my surprisingly comfy mattress; to see my friends everyday, telling stories after our chores.

The pain from the cut over my right eye brought me back to the present. The sting reminded me about the beating I got yesterday for defending FireClaw against our caretaker. I never want anything like that to happen to any of them.

As I swung through the forest in Vaan with the little Cyndaquil on my shoulder, one thought repeated itself in my head.

"This is for the others…"

* * *

What's that obnoxious noise? Sounds like a couple of fire trucks and police cars. You never see those things here that often. And I had this weird dream…Gale was-

I immediately came to my senses and jumped out of bed. Piplup flew on my shoulder as I quickly put on my socks and ran out of my tiny room. The noises seem so close…Did something bad happen? And what about Gale?

I stopped in front of his room. The door was closed. I heard a couple of voices behind the block of wood, talking about what happened.

"Are you sure you don't know where the boy went?" asked an unfamiliar voice. What he said confirmed my thoughts. It wasn't a dream.

"No!" came the reply. It was our caretaker. "That boy barely talks to anyone. He just spends time with that Cyndaquil of his…"

"Just one more question, ma'am" said another voice. "Did anything happen to him that could've caused him to run away?"

"I can't recall a time when any of the kids would be unhappy here." That liar! I can't remember a time when we were _happy_ when she was around. That rotten old hag…

"Thank you for the information, ma'am" I bit my lip angrily as I imagined him shaking her hand. What information?!

"Glad to help with the investigation" she replied. My heart skipped a beat when the door opened. Luckily, I was able to slip behind it unseen. Our caretaker came out of the room, wearing that familiar, dirty apron of here. The woman wore a smile as she walked down the hallway and back into the kitchen.

I waited until my heart stopped racing before peeking back in the room. Two police officers stood there, talking. One of them had a notepad and was scribbling something on it.

"So, what do you think of her story?" asked the blonde one. He took off his sunglasses and wiped them clean with a piece of cloth.

"I'm not buying it" his partner replied. Though the guy had thin, gray hair, he looked like he was just in his late twenties. "No seven year old would run away just like that. There has to be a reason behind- Hello! Who's this?"

I withdrew my head from the door when I realized that he'd spotted me. I had a good mind to run away and hide in my room, but a part of me, and the little penguin on my shoulder, told me to stay. I poked my head back in the room.

As expected, both officers looked at me curiously. "Can you come in?" the blonde guy asked. I obediently walked into the room and sat on Gale's beat-up mattress. The gray-haired policeman got on one knew in front of me and took off his sunglasses.

"What's your name?" he asked.

"Jen, sir" I said. The guy gave me a warm smile.

"Now, Jen, did you know that your friend ran away?" I nodded. "Do you know where he might have gone?" I thought for a moment.

"No, sir. None of us do. He never told anyone." The officer nodded.

"Do you why he ran away?" I took the question into careful consideration. I don't really know why Gale would do that…but considering that way that so-called caretaker treated us, I won't even wonder…

"It's because of you caretaker, isn't it?" the blonde officer suddenly said. The look on my face after he asked that must've confirmed it. "Why don't you tell us all about her?"

I nodded. "Gladly…"

--

"What's going to happen to us?" Ayaka looked at me with her frightened, charcoal-gray eyes.

"Don't worry. They're here to help us" I told her. The six year old nodded and hugged little Waka, her Eevee. I sighed and lay my head back down on the soft seats of the police cruiser. It had happened so fast…to fast…

"Do you think they'll be able to find Gale?" the brown-eyed Saiiko asked. He was at the other end of the car, fiddling mindlessly with the seatbelt of the police cruiser. His dark green cubone sat on his lap, gazing out the window.

"I don't know…" Kareti replied from her spot between him and Ayaka. Her lavender eyes stared blankly at the black ceiling, deep in thought. "Gale _was_ the best at hide-and-seek. Then again, we're talking about the police here…" Grassi the Togepi was fast asleep in her arms, undisturbed by the loud sirens.

"If they do find him," Hallind added from the passenger seat up front, "he's got a lot of explaining to do." Sparky the Pichu stared curiously at a giant firetruck outside.

Suddenly, the car door next to me opened. The same gray-haired policeman poked his head inside.

"Everything alright in here?" he asked. The four of us at the back looked at him; Hallind just stared outside.

"Uh…mister? Can you please tell us what's happening?" Saiiko stopped playing with his seatbelt and waited for an answer. Happy the Cubone crossed his arms and leaned back to relax.

"Well, we've taken you kids into our custody" he explained. "Your caretaker won't be going to jail, but she will be paying a big fine for mistreating children," The young police officer gave us a warm smile. "You kids will be fine. We're making arrangements to transport you to a new home a couple of miles from here. I'm sure you'll have a great life there."

"What about Gale?" I could tell by her voice that Ayaka was getting worried. I have to admit, I'm a bit worried about our friend as well.

"When we do find him," the guys started, "he'll be sent to the same orphanage. Don't worry, nothing will happen to him."

"You mean _if_ you find him." I mumbled the words under my breath after the cop got called away by one of the other policemen. Piplup looked at me sadly from his spot on my lap. The little penguin climbed on to my shoulder and patted me on the back.

"Piplup-pip…"

"Thanks." I patted the little Pokémon on the head and looked out the open car door. Suddenly, I caught a glimpse of familiar orange eyes in the treetops.

Then, there he was; dressed in the same dark blue jacket I last saw him in. The same little fire mouse clung to his right shoulder, giving Piplup a little nod. The cut over his right eye confirmed it- this was Gale.

He gave me that look, the one he used instead of words to tell us almost everything. But you'd have to know him well enough to understand what he meant, kind of like talking to a Pokémon.

Then, as quickly as I spotted him, he was gone. I closed my eyes and relaxed. Piplup leaned back on my shoulder, just as the blonde cop closed the door. The guy then went to the driver's seat and put on his seatbelt. I felt the police cruiser slowly drive through the dirt road; away from our old home. I thought about all the good and bad times we had there- like the time Hallind had Sparky zap that old hag and she thought it was the TV plug. I wondered what life would be like in out new home...our new destination. As the sirens slowly got fainter and fainter in the background, I found out that my four friends were already asleep. A yawn escaped my mouth as I thought about what I read in those bright, orange eyes I saw in the treetops…and the way I finally understood.

"_Trust me, everything will be alright_."

I hugged the sleeping little penguin and closed my eyes to welcome the warm darkness. I felt the slow rhythm of the car as it slowly took us to the new orphanage…and our new lives…

* * *

"Sir! We have some bad news…"

"What is it now, Nitl?"

"The six have been transported to a new location by the police!" the guy replied. "We've lost track of five!"

"What about the last one?" The boy typed something on his computer screen.

"His signal is weak. We can't pinpoint his exact location, but he's still within a three mile radius of the orphanage."

"Abandon the operation, but keep tracing the last signal" the guy's boss ordered. "We can't have the police messing with our business." He pressed a button on his arm. "Send him in."

Two mechanical doors parted and revealed a frightened redhead boy clutching his badly injured Poochyena. The charcoal-haired guy approached the crying red-haired little boy.

"Join us and I'll help your little Pokémon" he stated, fiery brown eyes almost glowing in the dim light. He held out his black-gloved hand.

The eight year old reluctantly reached for it. "Please..."

* * *

**please review =3  
and tell me if you spot any mistakes...I usually leave some in there by accident...  
****  
Chapter one will be done in a few more weeks...  
****School's about to start for me XP  
And character info will be posted next time...with maybe a few sketches I'll draw**

**Note to first time reviewers: you can send me a review even without an account here...  
Just press that tiny button down there  
I hope to read your reviews! X3**


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